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Halfling Bowmen
|upkeep_cost = |num_figures = |moves = |melee = |ranged = |defense = |resist = |hits = |abilities = Ranged Attack x8 Lucky }} Halfling Bowmen are a type of Normal Unit that can be recruited in Halfling Towns containing at least a Barracks and a Sawmill. Bowmen are the most basic Ranged Attack units in the game. Because of their very low initial Attack Strength, they generally don't pose much of a threat to anything but the weakest enemies, although they can become somewhat stronger through . While they are quicker to produce, Halfling Bowmen are considerably weaker than the Halflings' signature unit, the also ranged Slingers, and they are commonly skipped as a result, since it takes very little additional development time to reach the higher tier unit. Halfling Bowmen have a Construction Cost of , and require an Upkeep Cost of and to maintain. Failure to pay these costs will result in the unit being disbanded automatically. Unit Properties Physical Description Halfling Bowmen are a group of short humanoids, no more than a few feet in height. They are dressed in light-blue tunics with bright red belts, and have no need to wear shoes thanks to their rugged, furry feet. Halfling Bowmen carry bows and arrows, which can be fired at enemies from a distance. They wield short swords in situations where hand-to-hand combat is unavoidable. Halfling Bowmen are a , containing up to soldiers. Attack Properties Halfling Bowmen initially possess very weak attacks, which will only be threatening to other low-tier Normal Units. Both their Melee- and Ranged Attacks have Attack Strengths of only 1''', which has an average "raw" output of - or rather, there is only a 40% chance for each '''Bowman to inflict any on the opponent, which may then possibly be negated by a Defense Roll. In fact, unless they fire at a point blank distance of 2 tiles or closer, their Ranged Missile Attacks are even less dangerous than this, as they suffer a penalty of for every 3 tiles that the arrows have to cross on their way to a target. As a result, Halfling Bowmen are rather unlikely to get through any armor at all. They do get better with though, both in the strength and accuracy of their attacks. At the level, the maximum normally attainable, they will do nearly 4 times this much with both Attack Types - points of "raw" , on average, per Bowman. However, the range penalties for the missile attacks do still apply, although it's worth noting that the final chance To Hit can never go below , regardless of modifiers. Halfling Bowmen also only have a limited amount of ammunition, and can only use their Ranged Attacks 8 times during any given battle. Defensive Properties Halfling Bowmen wear very little armor, and possess a Defense score of only . They can deflect about points from Conventional Damage attacks, on average - which is barely anything, and leaves them extremely vulnerable. As with most common foot soldiers, each Halfling Bowman also has only . In other words, each point of inflicted on this unit will kill off one of its . Their Resistance score is relatively high though. Their racial bonus, coupled with the Lucky trait, yield a total of in combat - giving Halfling Bowmen a decent chance to avoid Unit Curses and other ill effects. All three of these statistics also improve with . Other Properties Halfling Bowmen move at a slow , and can only traverse land tiles. The unit has no special movement properties. Basic Strategy Halfling Bowmen offer the tactical advantage of Ranged Attacks, but are otherwise quite unremarkable. They are weaker than close combat units both offensively and defensively, and generally require or enhancement spells to have even a chance at becoming a worthwhile investment. This is partly due to their attacks suffering from range penalties , making their initial Attack Strength of almost worthless; but also because they cost more to both recruit and maintain than Halfling Spearmen or Swordsmen. As a result, they are overall less ideal for Town garrisons early in the campaign, despite their ranged capability. In addition, the signature racial unit of Halflings, Slingers, are also a Ranged Missile Attack unit, and are far superior to Halfling Bowmen at that. Granted, they have over twice the Construction Cost, and take an extra per turn to maintain, but depending on development strategy, they can become available at roughly the same time, especially in the player's starting City. Both units require a Barracks, and while Halfling Bowmen need a Sawmill, Slingers take an Armory to recruit - which also has the pre-requisite of a Smithy. In total, the cost of these Town Buildings is for the Bowmen, and for the Slingers, although it's also worth noting that the Sawmill actually also grants a bonus, meaning that later buildings and units can be completed faster once it's present. Regardless though, the difference in power between the two units is significant enough for Halfling Bowmen to almost never be worth recruiting. The one attribute where they are better is their amount of ammunition, as Slingers can only shoot 6 times per battle. However, they have higher Ranged Attack Strength, , and count; which not only increase the benefit they receive from the Lucky trait, but also improve the effectiveness of enhancement effects in general, including that of . As a result, Slingers are typically rated much higher in comparison than what the difference in costs would indicate, relegating Halfling Bowmen to more of a niche role - they will only be useful under a very narrow range of circumstances. Ability Overview Ranged Attack x8 * This unit may use a instead of a Melee Attack up to 8 times in each battle. Once the unit's ammo is expended, it must resort to Melee Attacks. Lucky * During combat, this unit receives a bonus, improving the chance for each die of its Attack Rolls to cause a point of "raw" . * During combat, this unit receives a bonus, improving the chance for each die of its Defense Rolls to block a point of Conventional Damage. * During combat, the Resistance of this unit is improved by , making it easier to avoid the effects of Unit Curses and Special Damage attacks. * Furthermore, any Melee- or Counter Attacks against this unit suffer a penalty of , although this effect is seemingly unintended, and is removed in the unofficial patches. Experience Table The following table illustrates how Halfling Bowmen improve with Experience. Any properties that are not listed here are not affected by in any way. * To achieve this level, either the Warlord Retort or the spell must be in play. ** To achieve this level, both Warlord and must be in play simultaneously. Average Damage Output The table below details the average amount of "raw" that each in a Halfling Bowmen unit will deliver with each type of attack, based on . It can be used in comparison to the target's Defense rating to approximate the chance of hurting that target. Acquisition Halfling Bowmen may be recruited in Halfling Towns that have both a Barracks and a Sawmill already built. Because the latter Town Building further requires a Forest or Nature Node in the City's catchment area, it is not always possible to build, which means that this unit can not necessarily become available in every Town. The Construction Cost of Halfling Bowmen is . They may also appear as Mercenaries, provided that the player has a presence on Arcanus. In this case, they cost between to to hire per unit, based on their - or half that much for Charismatic Wizards. Category:Units Category:Normal Units Category:Halflings Category:Bowmen